Palisades High School Ambassadors participated in a cleanup in this community.
Photo: Chaz Plager
By CHAZ PLAGER
Forty Palisades High School students, representing the PaliHi Ambassadors, came out on Saturday morning to pick up trash and litter in Pacific Palisades.
“We’re happy to give back to our community, even if in a small way,” said an ambassador.
The Community Clean-Up, a Palisades event was spearheaded by resident Robin Weitz with help from Village Green Board members Marge Gold, Cindy Kirven and Betsy Collins.
“This is actually the second time we’ve done this,” Weitz said. “We came up with this idea for a cleanup during Covid when people threw all their masks into the street, and we’re trying to make a tradition of it.”
From 9 a.m. to noon, people who wanted to help could pick up gloves and trash bags at the Village Green, the triangular park located between Sunset Boulevard, Swarthmore and Antioch Avenue. Snacks, which included apples, tangerines, bananas and granola bars were donated by the Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club.
People were allowed to select the area they wanted to see cleaned. Even though heavy rains from last week had “washed” much of the streets, sending debris into storm drains, there was still plenty of trash to pick up.
“The teens from Palisades High were amazing,” Gold said. “They brought their enthusiasm and said they had a good time!”
Weitz said that more than 30 people had signed up on “SignUp Genius” and “Officer Espin joined us on the Village Green.
“Several neighbors and beach goers thanked the volunteers for picking up trash,” Weitz said, and added that the Lavia family had cleaned up the beach. A trash can had blown over strewing trash and they had picked up that mess.
“The best part was a bunch of the beach volleyball people thanked us for our work,” Sarah Lavia told Weitz. “It was very heartwarming.”
Bruce Schwartz, after helping to clear out a homeless encampment on Temescal Canyon Road, helped dispose of at least 20 trash bags filled by the ambassadors and residents.
“Many residents took full bags home to put in their own trash,” Weitz said, noting that the students had picked up car parts, to-go food containers, dog-poop bags, glass bottles, aluminum cans, clothing, random debris and palm fronds.
“It was a great day and results!” Weitz said, noting that volunteers would do this again, which is the sign of a successful project.
“Our goal is that our community stays clean,” Weitz said. “We have so much natural beauty to savor – oceans and mountains, and now, no litter.”
Sunset from the Via de las Olas Bluffs in Pacific Palisades.